Funeral held for London bombing victim

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Jane Lien carries a picture of her uncle, London bombing victim Sam Ly, at his funeral in North Melbourne today..Photo: Craig Abraham

A golden-robed monk today blessed the lone Australian victim of
London's terrorist bombings, saying he had brought the nation
together.

The funeral for 28-year-old Sam Ly combined Buddhist and civil
ceremonies, and was conducted in English, Vietnamese and
Cantonese.

More than 200 mourners - many of them young members of the
Vietnamese community - crowded into a chapel in North Melbourne to
pay tribute to the young IT worker who moved to London with his
girlfriend Mandy Ha last year.

Mr Ly died on July 14, a week after suffering horrific injuries
when the No 30 bus he was travelling on was torn apart in Tavistock
Square.

Today, his smiling young face set against a beach backdrop,
adorned the front of his funeral program.

A Buddhist altar, consisting of golden screens decorated with
images of dragons, was erected at the front of the chapel, while a
framed photograph of Mr Ly was displayed on a white-clothed table
along with offerings of food and tea.

The service began with the Eric Clapton song, Tears in
Heaven, followed by a quotation from the Dalai Lama read by
the Venerable Thich Phoc Tan.

The monk from the Quang Minh Buddhist Temple said the Tibetan
leader believed kindness was the basis for all life. Mr Ly had
embodied this attribute.

"Goodbye Sam you have helped the nation come together,'' he
said.

Mr Ly was born in Vietnam in 1977. In 1980, his family escaped
in a boat and made their way to Australia.

Celebrant Clive Rumney said Mr Ly and his parents came to
Australia at a time when people were saying they did not want
Vietnamese boat people here.

"It is a cruel irony that his life was cut so senselessly short
by an act of racism and prejudice,'' he said.

After his mother died of cancer Mr Ly was brought up by his
father and sister.

He attended St John's Primary School in Collingwood and in 1996
he finished his VCE at Collingwood Secondary College.

He went to Monash University where he completed a double degree
in finance and computing and began working on the Monash IT help
desk.

As family and friends paid tribute to Mr Ly, a picture was
painted of a fun-loving larrikin, an intelligent IT worker, with a
passion for oriental food, chess and pranks, who could drink his
buddies under the table.

He was remembered as a loving son, partner, uncle and
friend.

As Mr Ly's casket - draped in an Australian flag - was brought
out of the chapel, the monks chanted and held their hands in a
prayer position, while one struck a chime.

The casket was lifted into the waiting car as Mr Ly's family
made their final farewells.